


He's the Man

by claimingsanctuary (timeschange)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Football, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Awkwardness, Bisexual Dean, But Cas doesn't know that, Cas is just awkward in general, Castiel and Jimmy Novak Are Twins, Dean can't talk to people he likes, Fluff, Football, Funny and adorable, Lisa's a bitch, M/M, Mutual Pining, She's the Man AU, kind of, lots of fluff, past homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2015-01-26
Packaged: 2018-03-03 08:54:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2845241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timeschange/pseuds/claimingsanctuary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She's the Man AU! (Sort of). When his old school finds out about his sexuality and doesn't take it well, Castiel transfers to the rival school so he can beat Cornwall's football team, has his twin teach him how to be cool, and proceeds to fall for one of his football teammates- and roommate- Dean Winchester. Little does he realize he's not the only one with romantic troubles as he gets in the middle of a series of intermingled love affairs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> When I say it's a "She's the Man AU" I mean that the scenes follow those of the movie...it's similar except, you know, for the whole crossdressing part....
> 
> The original prompt for this fic, which I took to an ENTIRELY different level was: "Dean and Cas are on the high school football team. Dean is the quarterback and Cas is just like the water boy. But one day one of the team members gets hurt and they have to put Cas in the game. He ends up being super awesome and winning the game. Then after the game him and Dean kiss."
> 
> Hah. So, yeah...it's for sure containing that, among other things.

Castiel walked up the path to his front door, adjusting his left ear bud. Suddenly, a hand caught his shoulder and spun him around. He yelped, pulling the earbuds from his ear, and made a face when he saw his brother’s girlfriend standing in front of him with her perfectly manicured hands resting on her hips.

“Jimmy! Oh. Ew,” Lisa sighed, dropping her arms, “God, you and your brother look scary alike from the back. Especially when you dress like that.”

Cas squinted, looking down at his loose sweatpants and sweatshirt. “Hello, Lisa. It’s good to see you as well.”

“I’m looking for Jimmy. Is he home?”

“I don’t know.”

Lisa scoffed. “Just remind your brother how lucky he is to be in my life, and tell him to give me a call if he wants to stay in it, okay?”

“I understand. Does he have your number—1-800-BEYOTCH?”

Castiel couldn’t help himself. She was just so… _rude._ He chuckled when Lisa stormed off, flouncing angrily back to her red convertible, and did his best to ignore the names she called him in return.

Inside, he managed to sneak past his mother and headed straight for his brother’s room. “Hey, Jimmy. _Lisa_ was looking for you,” he said, collapsing onto Jimmy’s bed. He made a disgusted sound. “Why do you date her, anyways?”

Jimmy shrugged, pausing his TV. “She’s hot. Hey, when do you leave for school?”

Cas cringed. That’s right. His parents decided it would be best for him to transfer schools, switching from the public Cornwall High to the nearby prep school, Illyria. He’d come home from Cornwall with black eyes and mysterious injuries one too many times, they’d decided.

Of course, they didn’t realize that Illyria wouldn’t be any better.

"Three days. I’m moving on Sunday.”

“Oh, don’t use that tone. It won’t be that bad,” Jimmy reasoned, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“It will be terrible. It will be _just as bad_ as Cornwall, maybe worse. When they find out I like men not only will I be the weird new kid, I’ll be the _gay_ , weird new kid. And it’ll be worse because I at least had a _few_ friends at Cornwall.”

“Dude. No matter what, there’s no way Illyria could be worse than it was at Cornwall,” Jimmy said quietly.

Castiel nodded. Jimmy was probably right, now that he thought about it. Long story short, in the fall of his junior year Cas was in an under-the-table relationship with his football teammate Michael, Cornwall’s quarterback.

Well, one day half the team burst into the locker room just in time to see Castiel sinking to his knees in front of Michael. Michael then hit Castiel, insisting to the team that Castiel had been trying to seduce him. Everything only got worse from there. He’d been threatened into quitting the football team, was bullied every day for the remainder of the year, and lost all but a few of his friends.

“Trust me,” Jimmy said gently, noticing Castiel’s silence, “This year is going to be great, Castiel. A fresh start is just what you need.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You’re effortlessly charming, no matter who you’re with.”

Jimmy and Castiel were polar opposites. Despite being identical twins, there were obvious differences. Jimmy’s voice was normal, didn’t possess the rough chain-smoker quality Castiel’s did. His hair was neater and lighter—it didn’t stick up every which way, like Castiel’s did. He dressed better than Castiel did. He liked women. Didn’t obsess over his academics. Basically, he was the normal version of Castiel.

Cas sat up suddenly, grabbing his brother’s arm. “Teach me how to be you!”

Jimmy blinked. “What?”

“You’re perceived as being cool and popular. You have an attractive girlfriend. People like you. I need to be like you if I want to fit in at Illyria!”

“You want an attractive girlfriend?” Jimmy asked, confused.

"Well…if they know about my sexuality, I’m only going to get beat up again. I only have to make it through one year.”

“Castiel, you don’t need to—“

“Jimmy,” Cas said, adopting his puppy-dog eyes, “You cannot imagine what I endured last year. You were right earlier—I now have a fresh start, and I can use it to my advantage. Perhaps it can help me fit in better.”

Jimmy sighed. “Well, if you want to fit in, I recommend not wearing a suit and tie to school every day.”

“But it’s a prep school. Isn’t it customary to dress up?”

“Trust me, Cassie, I have friends from Illyria—there isn’t a uniform or anything, so people wear whatever.”

“I don’t have any other clothes,” Cas frowned.

"We’ll get you some. Also, the football team is popular in Illyria—“

“I can’t, Jimmy. After last year I don't think I could—“

“But you love football, Castiel. And you’re really good at it. Plus, the opening game this is Cornwall vs. Illyria. Wouldn’t it feel good to tackle that asshole Michael? Break a few of his bones in the process?”

“I don’t think you understand how football works, Jimmy,” Cas chuckled, “But it would be nice to prove that I can play football just as well as the rest of them can, despite what they seem to believe.”

“That’s the spirit, Cassie! If you can’t join them, beat them!”

.

On Sunday, Jimmy dropped Castiel off at Illyria. Cas clutched his duffel—full of his new wardrobe—to him, looking out the windshield at the unfamiliar campus.

“I want to go home,” he whined.

“We’re not going home! Stop it! I did not spend _all this time_ —"

"But-"

"I got you new clothes! I taught you to be cool!

“I want to go!”

“Don’t be so whiney! We’re not going!”

“Come on! Drive!”

“Alright. Let’s run through it one more time. I mean, I still don’t think you need to be someone you’re not in order to be popular. Underneath that crabby exterior, you’re fun. People will see that. But if you’re determined to stick to this ridiculous plan, remember: relax. Don’t worry so much. Talk about sports. Check out girls. Don’t talk so formally. Make friends.”

“Oh, is that all?” Castiel asked sarcastically.

“You’ve got this. I’ll call you later, see how you’re doing.”

Castiel took a deep breath, nodding, and climbed out of the car. He waited until Jimmy pulled away before looking at the map. He found his dorm building on the map, but he had no idea where he was in relation to it.

Twenty minutes later, after successfully locating the building, Castiel found his dorm room, opening the door to find three people already inside.

“Uh, hey…dudes,” he stuttered when they all turned to look at him. The words felt weird coming from his mouth. “You must be my roommates.”

One of them, the one closest to him, took a step toward Castiel. His face lit up into a blinding smile. “I am. Name’s Dean Winchester.”

 _Not fair. Not fair. Life is cruel. Of course this would happen._ Castiel shook the man’s hand, trying not to gape. The man was shirtless. And _gorgeous._ Because of course. Castiel _would_ get the tall, handsome roommate with the incredible body and gorgeous green eyes and smattering of freckles. “Uh, Castiel Novak.”

“This is Benny and Victor. They live next door.”

Cas nodded in their direction, unable to take his eyes off Dean.

“So, uh,” Dean began, taking a step away from Cas. Cas mentally shook himself for already being creepy. “I already set up my bed. I hope you don’t mind taking the one closest to the door.”

“I- no. Of course not. This arrangement will be satisfactory.”

Victor snorted, trying to disguise it as a cough at the last second.

“Okay, cool,” Dean said, giving Cas a small smile. Well…he seemed nice, at least. That was something. But then, Michael was nice at first.

“So, um. Do you know when football tryouts start?”

“Noon,” Dean said, eyeing Castiel. “Why, do you play?”

“Absolutely. Running back. Do you play? Um, bros? …Brothers? … _Bretheren?”_

Dean laughed, and Castiel could feel his cheeks heating up. Partially because he couldn’t help noticing how beautiful Dean is when he smiles, but mostly out of embarrassment for his own absurdity. “Uh, yeah. I’m the quarterback. Benny usually plays center and Victor’s a linebacker.”

“Sweet.” Wait…do people even say ‘ _sweet’_ anymore?

“Right…Well, we were about to get some lunch, so, uh…we’ll leave you to unpack,” Dean said, putting on a shirt, “I guess.”

“Nice meetin’ you, buddy,” Benny said, clapping Castiel on the back as he followed Dean out the door. Victor nodded at him.

“Right. I’ll catch up with you guys later?” he called after them.

Castiel shut the door and collapsed onto his new bed, looking at Dean’s several feet away. He frowned, not looking forward to this year.

 

It was a hot day to hold tryouts. And there were many more students there than Castiel was expecting, and many of them were good football players. This was much different from Cornwall, where they were lucky to scrape together enough good players to make a good team.

On top of that, the Coach—Coach Singer—was slightly terrifying and worked them all until Castiel felt like he was going to faint in the middle of group push-ups.

His nerves didn’t help his performance. All in all, he wasn’t surprised when Coach Singer read off his name among the “Junior Varsity” players, which meant he was a member of the team…apart from, of course, the actual playing the game part. Still, at least he wasn’t cut entirely. There was still three weeks to the Cornwall game—plenty of time for him to improve enough to change Coach Singer’s mind.

Which he _needed_ to do. He needed to beat Michael and the rest of the team, everyone that viewed him as second rate and not as good of a player simply because of his sexuality.

 

After tryouts Coach Singer directed them all to the showers, but stopped Castiel with a hand on his shoulder. “No shower for you, Novak. The Principal wants to see you in his office.”

Castiel’s eyes widened. First day in Illyria, and he was already being called to the principal’s office.

              


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the meeting with the headmaster is pretty verbatim with the film...Garth just fit the part so well I found didn't even need to change any of the dialogue...with the exception of adding Mr. Fizzles, of course ;)

Cas fidgeted nervously, looking around the principal’s office. Most of the decorations in the room were Illyria-themed, from the honest to God coat of arms on the wall to the black and red plaque covering most of the desktop.

He didn’t realize someone had entered the room until he heard the door click shut behind him. Cas turned in his seat to see a tall, lanky man with messy brown hair and a bright smile.

“Mr. Novak. Garth Fitzgerald IV,” the man bowed awkwardly, “Headmaster.”

He approached Castiel, resting a hand on his shoulder when Cas was about to stand up. “So very pleased, to meet you. So very, very pleased.”

“Likewise, sir. I heard you wanted to see me.”

Principal Fitzgerald sat across from Castiel, resting his chin in his hands and maintaining his excited smile. “Yes. I’d like to say: Welcome. Welcome to Illyria! Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome!” he sang.

“Um…thank you?” Castiel said, not sure how he should react to being serenaded by his principal.

“I just wanted to have you in to say welcome,” Fitzgerald finished cheerily. “See how you’re doing.”

“Yes. I’m doing…well, I suppose. I’ve only been here a day, after all. Just busy being…a normal guy.”

“A normal guy,” Garth sighed, “Yeah.”

Castiel shifted in his seat, uncomfortable under the principal’s stare. Suddenly, Fitzgerald stood up. “Okay, you’re busted. You don’t wanna talk to the headmaster, but I won’t take no for an answer! Now, have a sit in the headmaster’s chair. Come on, have a sit.”

Cas hesitated before moving, not sure if the principal was actually serious or not.

“Sit it.”

Doing as he was told, Cas sat in the leather chair behind Garth’s desk.

The principal leaned against his desk and smiled down at Castiel. “So, Castiel Novak. How do you like campus?”

“It’s very beautiful, sir,” Cas answered seriously.

“Being inspired by the charcoal black and candy apple red?”

“Absolutely.” Castiel nodded once.

“You know, Castiel, I was a transfer student myself, once upon a time—back when dinosaurs roamed the earth—so I keep a special interest in the transfer students that come to this school as a sort of…unofficial big brother. And I know it’s hard to believe, looking at me now, but I used to be bullied quite a bit in high school.”

Castiel cringed. Of course, his nervous mother would’ve called the principal.

“Yes, I know it’s not a fun topic to discuss, Mr. Novak, but I’ve spoken with your parents several times, and they’re very concerned. I don’t know about those public schools, but here at Illyria we have a zero-tolerance bullying policy, and we _enforce it_ ,” Garth grew serious for the first time in their short acquaintance, “so I want you to tell me if you ever have any problems, do you understand?”

Castiel nodded.

“Good. Now, do you have anything you’d like to share? Any worries? Issues?”

“Not…not that I can think of, sir.”

Garth nodded knowingly. “I understand. You’re shy. Well maybe you’ll talk to…” he pulled a sock puppet out of the inside of his jacket and adopted a falsetto. “Mr. Fizzles! I’m your friend! _Yaaay!_ ”

Castiel blinked at his new principal. Then he blinked at the puppet, tilting his head to the side. Was this really happening?

“Mr. Fizzles wants to _help_ Castiel! He wants to listen!”

“I really don’t have any issues—“ Cas stuttered.

“Are you _sure?_ ‘Cause Mr. Fizzles can sense when you’re being a _liiaarrr._ ”

“Um. I’m not lying. But if I _do_ ever have any, um, _issues_ …I promise to come straight here.”

“Very good. Yes, very good,” Fitzgerald nodded, returning to his normal tone, “Now scoot.”

“Yes, sir.”

On his way out of the man’s office, Castiel collided with someone. The collision made the girl he ran into drop her books, sending loose pages scattering across the floor.

“Shit. I am _so_ sorry,” Cas said, bending to help her pick her things up.

She smiled at him. She was very pretty, in a sweet way, with bright red hair and large, expressive eyes. “Don’t worry about it. That was my fault.”

The principal’s door opened. “What is—? _Oh_ ,” Garth said, looking between Castiel and the girl. “Getting to know the opposite sex, are we? Male-female dynamics. All that sexual tension. It’s all part of the high school experience, so continue, please.”

Cas snorted, sharing a look with the girl. Garth turned to go back into his office, but froze, realizing what he’d just encouraged. “But keep it clean, though. Okay. Abstinence is key. Abstinence is…the best was to _not,_ is to…not.”

With a final nod, the headmaster disappeared back into his office. Castiel gave the girl an incredulous look. “Is he always so…” he trailed off, unable to think of a fitting word.

“Yeah,” the girl laughed. “He’s…interesting, to say the least. Have you met Mr. Frizzles yet?”

Cas nodded numbly. “I don’t understand…”

“Tell me about it. Last year, he spent an entire hour-long assembly talking as Fizzles,” she said, leaning in confidentially.

"Oh my God.”

They both stood, Castiel placing the stack of book he’d gathered together into the girl’s arms.

“Well, I gotta go,” the girl said shyly, smiling at Cas. “See you around.”

Cas nodded, giving her a polite smile back.

 

Castiel decided to try out one of the dining halls for dinner. He was eating early in the evening, so not many of the tables were occupied. He was about to sit at a table by himself when Dean caught his eye from a table across the room and waved him over. Cas looked over his shoulder, certain it couldn’t be _him_ Dean was smiling at, but there was no one else around.

Hesitantly, he made his way over, his stomach doing flips the entire time.

“Hey, Castiel,” Dean smiled when he reached them.

“Hello, Dean.” Castiel took a seat. “So…those football tryouts were bogus, am I right?” he asked, cringing internally at his outdated word choice. Jimmy would die of shame if he’d heard the word “bogus” come out of his brother’s mouth. He kept talking to try to remedy the situation. “I mean, I understand that there were a lot of good players. I’m just upset that Coach Singer chose underclassmen for Varsity over seniors. Like that Sam guy. He’s only a sophomore, but he made Varsity.”

“Sam…Winchester? My _brother?_ ”

Castiel clapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide. Benny and Victor burst out laughing. “Dean. I am sorry—I didn’t mean anything by that. Sam and I only talked briefly, but he seemed a very pleasant individual. Forgive me, I’m only upset that I’m not going to be able to play in the game against Cornwall—“

“Castiel, chill. It’s cool, I get what you meant. What’s so important about the Cornwall game?”

“Oh. It’s, um, my old school.”

“Oh, yeah? Were you on the team there?” Benny asked.

Cas nodded, glad his awkwardness seemed to be forgotten. “Since freshman year.”

“Why the need to beat them so badly?”

“My, um…brother used to date that tool Michael,” Cas lied, watching everybody’s reactions. “Sort of. He didn’t treat Jimmy very well. No one on the team did.”

Dean nodded, completely ignoring Castiel’s admission about his “brother’s” sexuality. “Wait, Michael Shurley? I know him! I made him cry during a game once!”

“That was _you?_ That was hilarious!”

Dean smiled, but then his attention shifted. Benny, Victor, and Castiel followed his gaze, which was directed at the redhead Cas bumped into earlier.

"Incoming,” Victor said under his breath.

“Look at the booty on _that_ redhead,” Cas observed, remembering Jimmy’s advice about checking out girls. Dean gave him a sharp look. “Oh. Is that your girlfriend?” Cas swallowed, worried he’d offended his new roommate _again._ His roommate that was _significantly_ bigger and tougher than Michael and the other Cornwall guys that used to beat him up.

Sam joined their table with a laugh, having overheard Castiel’s question. “He _wishes_. Until recently, she was dating this college guy but he apparently dumped her over the summer.”

“I head she’s super broken up about it,” Victor said, winking at Dean, “She’s super vulnerable now. Low self-esteem and shit.”

Cas frowned, watching the girl more closely. “She looks so sad. It’s heartbreaking.”

He turned back to the table to find everyone watching him warily. “I…it’s just. I mean, I can relate. I got out of a bad relationship recently as well,” he sighed. “You think you know someone, and then you realize you were deceived. It was all a lie—every touch, every kiss.” At this point, Castiel realized the group was watching him like he’d suddenly sprouted a second head. “Plus, you know, you can never get chicks to shut up?” he cringed.

Dean laughed, throwing his head back. Castiel felt his cheeks heating up again. God, Dean was beautiful. Even when it was Castiel he was laughing at.

“You’re such a dork,” he laughed, batting Castiel on the arm. Cas smiled weakly back.

 

The next day, after practice (they didn’t start classes until Wednesday), Castiel approached Coach Singer. He meant to ask about the Cornwall game, but then he saw how the man was struggling with the equipment and the question left his mind.

“Let me help, Coach,” he offered, taking one of the heavy bags Bobby was trying to drag to the shed.

“Thanks, Novak,” Bobby said once they’d reached the shed. “Now I just gotta put all this shit away.”

“Would you like some assistance?”

Coach Singer eyed Castiel. “Kissing my ass ain’t going to get you onto Varsity, boy.”

“I know. To tell you the truth, I have nothing better to do.”

“Bullshit. Go hang out with your friends or something.”

Castiel looked down at his grass-stained cleats, so he didn’t see the Coach’s expression soften.

“Well, alright. I could use some help anyways. But don’t mess with anything.”

 

An hour later, Castiel looked at his phone to see he missed a call from Jimmy. He tapped Jimmy’s name on the screen.

“Hello?”

"This is terrible.”

“What?”

“Everybody thinks I’m a loser deviant. I’ll never see the field against Cornwall. My roommate is hotter than Channing Tatum. And I just spent an hour running errands for the football coach so I wasn’t just sitting somewhere by myself… _again._ ”

“Look, Cassie, I don’t know what to tell you about the football stuff, but as for the social stuff, I got an idea.”

“You do?” Castiel asked cautiously. Novak ideas were notorious for going wrong, despite how good the intentions behind them.

“Only…no, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“What?”

“Never mind. It’s nothing.”

“ _What_?” Castiel pushed.

“No, I mean…you might look like a bit of a _douchebag,_ but a _cool_ douchebag, for sure.”

“I don’t want—“

“Look, meet me at Cesario’s at eight and we can plan it out. Call Meg and Charlie and tell them to come, too.”

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meg and Charlie sweep in to help Jimmy with operation "Try to Make Castiel Look Cool."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this first scene is my favorite from the movie. I wasn't sure how to do the whole "Monique breakup" part, seeing as I don't really have the "mistaken identity" plot device, but I feel like having Cas hide between Dean's legs makes up for the change :)

Castiel took a deep breath and walked into Cesario's, the pizza place just off Illyria's campus. He still wasn't entirely certain how he got roped into this insane plot in the first place. At their meeting the night before, Meg, Charlie, and Jimmy spent the night trying to convince him this would make him look cooler, although part of Castiel suspected Meg and Charlie were only going with it because they thought it would be fun.

Castiel just worried Dean and the group would see through it in seconds.

Cesario's was crowded, but Castiel spotted Jimmy in an instant. He stood out like a sore thumb, wearing something that he claimed was a 'disguise,' so Dean and the guys wouldn't see him and blow the game. He sat alone at a table towards the back, wearing a baseball hat low on his forehead and a pair of tinted aviators. He was sitting with his back to Dean's table, which was much closer to where Castiel stood. At it sat Dean, Victor, Benny, and Sam. Castiel knew from Jimmy's planning the previous night that Charlie and Meg were nearby somewhere, staying out of sight until they received a signal from him.

Castiel rallied his confidence and approached Dean's table. "Hey, guys."

Victor smirked at Cas, his face lighting up. " _Hey,_ Castiel," he said, turning to grin at Dean. Dean, sitting next to Victor in the booth, waved halfheartedly at Cas and didn't maintain eye contact for more than a few seconds. Cas frowned. "You can take my seat, buddy. I was just leaving," Victor continued. He slid out of the seat and offered it up to Castiel.

"Oh, I-" Cas started, but Victor was already standing up. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jimmy wave at someone.

" _Hey, Castiel,_ " a sultry voice purred seconds later, accompanied by the clack of heels on the wood floor. Victor froze, forgetting his plan to leave, his eyes wide and focused on something behind Cas.

Cas turned to see Meg stalking over, a predatory look in her eye. He'd seen that look many a time- directed at him, even, when they'd first met- and it always meant trouble.

Meg had put a lot of effort into helping Castiel; she was dressed in a crop top, showing off her slim waist, heels, and skinny jeans. She'd even pulled out her brightest shade of red lipstick for the occasion.

"Meg," Cas greeted coolly. When Meg reached him, she stood on the tips of her toes and reached to pull him into a tight hug. Angling their bodies so the table of guys could see, she lightly trailed her hand up and down Castiel's back and hummed happily into his shoulder. "How are you doing, baby?" Cas asked, trying his hardest not to sound as awkward as he felt.

Meg pulled away enough to look at Cas but still close enough that her arms stayed wrapped around his neck. She stuck out her lip in an exaggerated pout. Cas reached up to brush a lock of dark hair out of her face. "Not the same without you," Meg said, putting a whine into her voice.

"I know, I'm sorry."

At the booth, Sam hit Benny on the arm several times. They were both leaning forward in their seats, watching closely. Victor's jaw dropped, almost like from a cartoon.

"I miss you, Clarence. I've been thinking about you a lot..." Meg trailed off, finally pulling away from the hug. She ran a dark nail down Castiel's chest. "Especially at night...and _late,"_ she said, leaning forward to breathe the last part into Castiel's ear. It was a stage whisper, though- still loud enough for the guys at the table to hear. She let out a big, mournful sigh. "Well, it was really good to see you, Castiel. Call me _any time._ "

Meg winked before flouncing away, putting more swing into her step than necessary.

"What just happened?" Benny asked, probably louder than he'd intended. Cas shrugged and turned to face them, pleased to see that they were all open-mouthed and gaping like fish.

"It happens."

" _Castiel?_ Is that you?"

Castiel looked over to see his other best friend approaching him with a bright smile. "Hey, Charlie. What's going on?"

Charlie got right up in his space, resting a hand on his chest. Her smile turned coy and with her free hand she played with the strap of her low-cut sundress. "I miss you. I mean, our school lost it's _top gun,_ Castiel Novak."

"Well, the time came for me to move on, Charlie," Castiel shrugged, looking away.

"I know, Castiel," Charlie pouted, trying to duck back into his line of sight, "In the end I wasn't woman enough for you, and that's just something I'll always have to live with. It just _hurts,_ is all," she said, fanning her eyes as if she were about to cry. Charlie was a good actress, but Cas could see how close she was to laughter.

"Love is pain, Charlie," he teased.

That did it. She snorted with laughter but just barely managed to pass it off as a sob. Charlie grabbed his arm, pinching it in a way Dean and the gang couldn't see. "Just know that I'll _never_ forget you, Novak." She pushed him away, fleeing like a spurned lover.

If Dean, Victor, Sam, and Benny looked stunned before, there wasn't a word in the english language to describe how shocked they looked now.

"You're awesome," Dean finally breathed. Castiel shrugged and looked away, making eye contact with someone who had just walked through the front door. It was Lisa, Jimmy's girlfriend. And _crap_. Castiel was dressed like Jimmy. She was going to ruin everything- Cas didn't think they'd ever had a conversation where she hadn't called him a loser, mentioned his sexuality, or gone out of her way to make things difficult for him.

A family walked in front of her, blocking him from her line of sight, and Cas took the opportunity to dive under the table.

"What the hell?" Dean asked, scrambling to move his legs out of the way when he felt Cas crawl underneath them.

Cas managed to turn himself around just in time to see Lisa's heels stop in front of the table and prayed Lisa hadn't seen him dive underneath it. He pulled his legs tighter against his body, only then realizing he was positioned entirely between Dean's legs.

"Hey, pretty lady," Victor said, using the greeting Castiel had made the mistake of trying to use several times. He scrunched up his nose, only then realizing how stupid it sounded.

" _Ew,_ " came Lisa's voice, and from experience, Castiel didn't even have to imagine the way her nose was probably scrunched up in disgust. "What are you, _hitting on me?_ Yeah, okay. I'm going to put a stop to that little brain fart right now. Let me tell you something: girls with asses like mine don't talk to boys with faces like yours."

Cas could hear Dean practically choking on his laughter.

"Ugh. Anyways, I'm looking for my _boyfriend,_ " she said, emphasizing the word. "He was _just_ here, talking to you guys."

"Uh..." Benny eloquently said.

"Since you all seem to be mentally deficient, let me jog your memory: tall, dark hair, big, gorgeous and insanely blue eyes..."

"Novak? _Really?_ " Victor whined.

"Let's see...which way did Novak go, guys?" Dean asked playfully, nudging Cas with his leg. Castiel put a hand on his knee and squeezed, trying to convey how desperate he was not to be seen. With a loud squeak, Dean jumped slightly under Castiel's hand. "He just left through the back door," Dean said, voice cracking on the word 'door.'

Cas reluctantly let his hand drop from Dean's knee, patting it once in thanks first.

Cas watched the heels disappear and risked peeking out from underneath the table. Across the restaurant, he watched the _real_ Jimmy follow Lisa outside. Jimmy met Castiel's eye and gave his twin a thumbs up before turning the corner.

"She's gone, Casanova," Dean said, peeking under the table. Cas yelped when he suddenly found his face inches away from Dean's. He jerked away and ended up slamming his head into the table. Dean cringed. "That's gotta hurt."

Cas grumbled and crawled into the open. Once recovered, he slid into the booth next to Dean, still rubbing the back of his head.

"Why would you hide from _that_?" Sam asked.

"I don't know if you noticed, but she's kind of a bitch."

"Then why would you date her?" Dean asked, frowning. Cas stared at Dean, remembering how he'd asked Jimmy the same thing only days previously. Dean met his stare evenly.

"I'm not," he answered reflexively after an awkwardly long pause. Dean raised an eyebrow. Realizing his mistake, Castiel lied some more- something he was getting good at, by this point. "I mean, I _was._ We broke up, she just seems to think no relationship can end without her permission."

"Hmmm,"Dean said, giving Cas a hard look.

"What?" Cas asked. For a minute, he worried Dean had seen through this whole scam. But to his surprise, Dean blushed and looked away for only a few seconds before returning to meet Castiel's questioning gaze.

"I, um...nothing. I just hadn't realized..." he made a face. "Don't take this weird, Cas, but she was totally right. You _do_ have really blue eyes."

Cas blushed as well, probably matching Dean's. Across the table from them, Sam snorted and nudged Benny. Realizing what Dean said, Castiel tilted his head to the side. " _Cas_?" If possible, Dean turned even redder.

" _Anyways,"_ Victor chuckled, "that was really cool, brother. Who knew _you_ were such a ladykiller."

"Yeah. You're officially my idol, man," Benny laughed. "Teach us your ways?"

"Could you?" Sam asked excitedly, sitting up in his seat. "I've been meaning to ask out this girl Jessica, but I have no idea how to go about it..."

"I can help you, Sam," Castiel nodded, wondering what he had just gotten himself into, "I do, after all, have a lifetime of knowledge." 

 

After that, things started getting easier. Benny and Victor actually treated him with respect, looked up to his opinions. Dean took to calling Castiel "Cas" (and Castiel learned from Sam that Dean only gives nicknames to people he's fond of) and they spoke more often than they did during Castiel's first few days at Illyria. The night after what Castiel called "The Cesario's Scam," they actually stayed up pretty late just talking- about everything.

Dean and Sam, apparently, got free tuition at Illyria because their mother was an english teacher. Castiel talked about Jimmy a little, but more about his older brother Gabriel and his younger sister Hannah. Apparently, Coach Singer was a family friend, knew Dean when he was just a toddler. After admitting this, Dean seemed worried Cas might think Bobby was playing favorites, but Castiel assured him that he'd  _seen_ Dean play. There was no nepotism at work.

They talked about movies and music. When it came to movies, they had uncannily similar tastes, although they disagreed about what order Star Wars should be watched in and whether or not the new Hobbit movies are better than the original Lord of the Rings trilogy. Their music tastes differed, though, as Castiel preferred pop or, sometimes, jazz. Dean groaned, promising to introduce him to "good music" at some point.

Of course, the more they talked the more Castiel felt guilty about all of the lying. Every night before sleep, he thought about all the ways things could go wrong, worried that no matter what happened, Dean would end up hating him in the end. He'd only been in Illyria three days, but he was already tired of trying to act 'cool' like Jimmy. He missed his stupid, oversized trenchcoat and tie and he was tired of constantly monitoring his vocabulary. Hopefully, it would get easier.

But then, all he had to do was remind himself of what life used to be like for him, at Cornwall, and he didn't feel so guilty anymore. Football was a welcome distraction, too. Practice took place every day, and it had become routine (as much as a routine can be developed in two days) for Castiel to help Coach Singer with the equipment after practice. In the mornings, Castiel went on long runs and did anything else he could think of to improve his performance.

Wednesday, however, classes started. His very first class at Illyria was AP Bio, unfairly early in the morning. But on the bright side, he had the class with Dean, Victor, and Benny. He and Dean chatted while they got ready in the morning, and it was much too easy for Castiel to forget to try to be cool around him.

Dean was a huge dork himself, Castiel quickly realized. He was fun and bright and funny, much more than just a pretty face and a talented athlete. He made Castiel laugh more than anyone else could, and damned if Cas wasn't already falling for him. Three days into the semester. Shit.

It was going to be a long year.

 

As they were walking into the biology classroom, Castiel's phone began ringing. He pulled it out, meaning to turn it off, but froze mid-step when he saw the name on the screen. He should have deleted the contact a long time ago, he knew it, and he wasn't even sure why he couldn't bring himself to do it. But there it was, that  _stupid_ name lighting up the screen, taunting him.

_Michael._

When Dean realized Castiel wasn't behind him, he turned. His smile faded when he saw the look on Castiel's face. "Hey, what's wrong, man? _Cas._ Are you okay?" He rested a hand on Castiel's arm, ducking his head to try to meet the shorter boy's eyes.

Cas' eyes snapped up from his phone. Dean gave him a confused look, thankfully all Castiel needed to snap out of his spiraling depression. He turned his phone off without a second glance, stuffing it in his backpack. "I'm fine, Dean."

"You sure?" Dean asked, not moving his hand.

"Yes. It was just..."

"Another psycho ex? Jesus, Cas, how many even is that?"

Cas gave him a small smile. "What can I say? I have game," he said seriously, making Dean laugh.

A couple of girls slipped past them, and Dean suddenly pulled his hand away, eyes wide. "Oh my God. Shit. Oh my God. She's in our class."

Castiel looked at the group of girls, noticing the redheaded girl from Sunday was among the group. "Just keep blushing, Dean. I have no doubt she'll notice how adorable it is and fall in love with you."

"Shut up. I am _not_ blushing," he hissed, steering them toward the lab table Victor and Benny claimed. "I don't _blush."_

"Yeah, and Victor isn't balding," Benny joked, having overheard Dean. "I take it by the color of your cheeks that you saw who's in our class?"

Dean didn't have a chance to answer, because the teacher chose that moment to begin speaking. First of all, she introduced herself, and then she explained how they were going to determine their lab partners. She had a bowl with the names of students, and they'd go around pulling names until everyone had a partner.

She started, of course, with Castiel's group. Victor and Benny pulled names, then Dean.

"Becky Rosen. You've got to be kidding me." The last part he added in a whisper.

Castiel elbowed him, probably harder than necessary. "Be _nice,_ " he hissed, looking over at the girl that must be Becky and giving her a gentle smile.

"Yeah," Victor added, "She's not so bad. She's just friendly."

Castiel pulled his name. "Anna Milton." He looked up to see Dean's redhead beaming at him. He smiled, waving, and she nodded back.

"You _know_ her?" Dean asked, grabbing Castiel's arm.

"I wouldn't say 'know _',_ " Cas admitted, making air quotes around the word _know,_  "I talked to her very briefly on Sunday."

"About _what?_ I've been going to school with her for  _years_ and I've never gotten a hello nod like that! I can't believe you got her as a lab partner, dude. _Switch with me."_

" _I can't,_ I already said her name out loud, Dean. And stop being mean."

Dean nodded, pouting slightly.

"Hello, again," Anna said when Cas approached her.

Cas smiled, offering his hand. "I don't think we properly introduced ourselves Sunday. I'm Castiel."

"Anna."

Castiel didn't have to turn around to _feel_ Dean's eyes boring into his back.

"So, I have to admit," Anna began, "I'm terrible at biology. I can do the whole dissecting thing really well, but with everything else I'm hopeless. I'm just trying to get this out of the way now so I don't have to take it in college."

Cas nodded, leaning against the lab table. "That's fine, because I can do everything _but_ the dissecting part. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but science is my forte."

"Ah. A jock _and_ a nerd," Anna smiled, "Aren't you just the whole package."

Cas smiled, leaning in and lowering his voice. "Please don't tell anyone. I have an image to maintain."

Anna laughed, but their conversation was cut short when the teacher began speaking again.

               

After class, Dean cornered Cas in the hallway. "Dude. Did you say anything about me?"

"Um...was I supposed to?" Cas asked uncertainly.

Dean pouted. "What did you talk about all that time, then? Come on, Cas, this is perfect."

Cas tilted his head, frowning.

"You get to spend an hour with her every day! You can convince her to go out with me!"

Castiel's eyes widened. "But I don't..." I don't _want_ you to go out with her. "How am I supposed to...You've been going to school together for three years. If she hasn't shown any interest by now, Dean, how am I supposed to-?"

"Yeah, but you're _Casanova,"_ Dean grinned, elbowing his roommate playfully, "I know you can do it! Hey, I know! If you talk to Anna for me, I'll help you get better at football. I can get you good enough to be bumped up to Varsity."

"By the Cornwall game?" Cas asked hesitantly.

"Hell yeah, man."

"Are you sure you can? There's only three weeks..."

"You're already a good player, Cas. But I swear I can make you _really_ good. Promise. Pretty please?"

Cas bit his lip, thinking. "Alright. You have a deal," he finally said, offering out his hand for Dean to shake. "I'll talk to Anna if you help me get to Varsity."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, man. I was so excited when I realized that Eunice and Becky were actually the same actress.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel tries to set up Dean and Anna, but it doesn't go at all how he'd planned.

Dean insisted they start training immediately. He was quite the slave driver, actually, working Cas every day on the field in addition totheir daily team practices. He pushed Cas right up to his breaking point, always stopping just before Castiel collapsed. The thing is, though, Castiel couldn't complain because he really _was_ improving.

In the meantime, Cas worked on becoming better friends with Anna.

Surprisingly, Anna was an easy girl to befriend. She was very friendly around him— more than she was around her friends, even. If he'd been paying more attention, he might've realized. He might've noticed the way she smiled at him. The way she touched him whenever she could. The flirtation in some of the things she said to him.

But Castiel had to befriend her first, of course. As he explained to Dean several times, he couldn't just _shove_ the girl at Dean. It would freak her out. And yes, he might have been stalling. Because yes, he was starting to like Dean way more than he should.

But two weeks passed and before Cas knew it there was only a week until the Cornwall game. It was probably time for him to play his part.

"Here's an interesting concept," he began one day in class, watching Anna fill out the answers on their worksheet, "Have you ever considered going on a date with Dean Winchester? I could really picture you two together."

" _Dean?_ "

"Yes."

"No," Anna laughed, risking a glance at Dean.

"Yeah," Castiel nodded knowingly.

"No! I mean, he's good looking and everything, but he's just not the right guy for me."

Castiel was too busy wondering how Dean could be wrong for anyone to notice the smile Anna gave him.

"I think there's more to him than you see on the surface," Cas said, looking over at Dean. The green-eyed boy appeared to be patiently listening to Becky tell one of her long winded stories, nodding whenever she looked up at him. He happened to glance over and meet Castiel's eye. He winked before returning to his work. Castiel blushed and looked back at Anna, who missed the entire exchange.

"Please. He's just another dumb jock who wants to get with me because of the challenge. Honestly, you're the only one at this school who _hasn't_ tried anything with me."

"Yes, well, you're not my type."

Anna's smile fell. "Why not?"

Cas sat up straighter, realizing his mistake. "I didn't mean...It's just. I don't, um, think of you in that way?"

"Oh..." Anna nodded, looking up at Cas through her eyelashes, "Do you think you ever could?"

"Um...maybe. But with _Dean-_ he really is a good guy. You should consider dating him."

"If I say I'll consider it, will you stop trying to pimp your best friend out to me?" Anna teased.

Cas squinted at her, considering it. "Yes."

"Then I'll consider it. Now can we get back to work?"

Nodding, Castiel smiled at Anna. But his mind was caught up on what she'd said... _was_ Dean his best friend? Castiel supposed, in a way, he was. Jimmy was his brother, so he didn't count. And Castiel connected with Dean in a way he couldn't with Meg and Charlie. It wasn't a two-sided best-friendship, though. Dean had Sam and Benny and Victor and at least a dozen other friends that ranked higher than Castiel. He didn't mind it, though, as long as they friends, at least.

 

When the teacher dismissed them, Castiel said goodbye to Anna and headed over to Dean’s lab table.

"Guess what," he said by way of greeting, an excited smile on his face. He probably shouldn't be excited, setting up the guy he lov— _liked_ (it's only been two weeks, let's not get carried away) with some girl, but he was excited at the prospect of doing something that could make Dean very happy.

Dean beamed up at him, Castiel's excitement catching. "What?"

"I got Anna to agree to consider a date with you."

"Oh. Right." Dean's smile faltered slightly. "Sweet."

"Did I just hear that right?" Benny asked, joining the group. "I'll be damned. Castiel really is a miracle worker, if Anna's considering _this_ asshole."

"Fuck off," Dean laughed, shoving Benny. They all left the classroom together, Benny splitting off in the other direction. "So, Cas...do I ask her out?"

"No! I mean...you should have a regular conversation first. You don't want to freak her out."

"Right," Dean nodded. He opened his mouth to say something, then shut it. "So..."

"Why don't I get the feeling you don't do this very often, Dean?" Castiel asked, moving closer to Dean as they tried to navigate the crowded hallway.

Dean rubbed at the back of his neck, cringing. "Uh...'cause I don't? I don't know, man, I'm just...I'm usually not good at talking to people I like, okay?"

"Why? You're very attractive," Cas said. He wished he could take the words back the moment they left his mouth.

Dean stopped walking in the middle of the hallway, green eyes wide. The people behind him walked into his back, shooting him looks as they navigated around him. "What?"

Cas kept walking, trying to pretend the entire situation didn't happen, and made Dean jog to catch up. "I just mean that aesthetically, you're very...pleasing? Objectively. Talking to women should be easy for you."

Dean pursed his lips. "Right. 'Course. And I just always say something stupid, end up looking like a total dork."

"Dean Winchester. You _are_ a total dork."

"Gee. Thanks, Cas."

"You're a dork, but that's one of my favorite things about you," Cas explained, pausing his walk so he could meet Dean's eyes. "I mean, that in itself is one of the reasons I like you so much."

"Uh..." Dean nodded, clearly amused with Castiel's babbling.

"My point is...you're great as you are, Dean. Dorkiness and all. If Anna, or anybody, can't appreciate you for all that you are, they're not worth your time."

Dean blinked at him, then smiled gently. "You know what, Cas? You're pretty awesome. And you know that goes both ways, right?"

Cas tilted his head, squinting at Dean. "I don't-"

Dean took a step closer. "Hey, maybe I'm imagining it, but you sometimes seem like two different people. And I'm not implying anything, or accusing you of anything, but that dorky, nerdy loser that uses big words and doesn't understand pop culture references? I think he's awesome as-is."

"Thank you, Dean. That means a lot."

"I get it, man. Trust me. So am I gonna see you at lunch?"

"No, actually. Because _somebody_ has been taking up all my time with football practice and Star Wars marathons, my brother insisted I spend time with him. He's meeting me here for lunch."

"Oh, okay. Well I'll see you later, then."

 

"Isn't he cute?" Anna sighed, watching Dean and Castiel talk.

"Dean? _Obviously,_ " Jo snorted.

"No. I mean Castiel," Anna said, looking at her friend.

"Oh. Yeah, he's pretty hot too. But don't you think there might be something going on between the two of them?"

" _No,"_ Anna gasped. "Why would you think that?"

"Well look how close they're standing. And Dean's bi, for sure, so even if Cas isn't a little bit gay it's possible that Dean likes him."

"Castiel _did_ say I'm not his type..."

"Yeah, and you're _everyone's_ type."

"But he kept trying to convince me to go out with Dean last period! If he liked Dean, he wouldn't be pushing him at me! I thought that maybe Dean likes me and Cas was just trying to help his friend out."

"And that's why he said you're not his type!" Jo jumped excitedly. "He _does_ like you, he's just guilty because his good friend liked you first!"

"Okay, but how do I get him over that? I like Castiel, not Dean. Dean will be able to get over it, I'm sure."

"I'll tell you what us mere mortals would do in this situation. You have to make him realize how much he likes you. If he thinks he's in love, Dean's crush won't seem as important. I have a plan, but it's kind of _brazen."_

"Lay it on me."

"You kiss him."

"Kiss him?"

"Yeah, just go up to him and kiss him. And then flounce away, leave him wanting more."

"Seriously? And that's going to work?"

"Absolutely...probably. I mean, yeah. It'll work."

"Okay," Anna nodded, determined. "I'll do it."

               

"How come Cas isn't eating lunch with us today?"  Sam asked Dean. They were just getting out of their last classes of the morning. Usually, Sam waited outside Dean's classroom and they walked together to meet up with the others, but today Dean suggested they try eating somewhere else. Victor was MIA, Benny had to study, and Cas was hanging with his brother, so why not try some brotherly bonding for themselves?

"He's meeting his brother for lunch," Dean shrugged. He shoved through the door and held it open for Sam behind him. "Dude. Do you wanna eat outside somewhere?"

Sam stretched, enjoying the feel of the sun. "Sure. You seem like you're in a good mood. I heard about the whole Anna thing."

"Oh, yeah. That's great and all, but you know I-"

"Hey, isn't that Cas down there?" Sam asked, cutting his brother off. Dean leaned over the railing to look where Sam was pointing, at the sidewalk directly below them. Sure enough, there stood Cas looking around in confusion. "He looks different."

"That's not what he was wearing this morning. And Jesus, did he _comb his hair_? Just to meet with his brother? Huh."

Sam spotted her before Dean did. It was Anna, marching straight for Castiel with a determined gleam in her eye. Sam didn't think Dean even noticed her approaching until Anna was practically on top of his roommate. She grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him down to her, not saying a word before forcing Castiel into a heated kiss.

Sam hoped Castiel would pull away. He was waiting for it, so sure was he that whatever was going on between the dark-haired boy and his brother was mutual, and so he cringed when Castiel reached up and tangled his hands in Anna's hair, kissing her back.

As quickly as she appeared Anna disappeared again, leaving a confused and alone Castiel to watch her flounce away.

"Dean-" Sam began, watching as his brother's expression grew stormier by the second. Dean pushed away from the rail with a disgusted sound.

"Don't, Sam. I really don't want to hear it," Dean growled, pushing past Sam and storming away. Sam watched him storm away, then turned to scowl down at Castiel. Who did he think he was, telling Dean he'd help with Anna and then taking her for himself? Especially after how close they'd grown over the past few weeks.

Sam stormed down the steps, on a warpath. Castiel made eye contact and frowned, taking a step back when Sam got up in his space. "What the  _hell_ do you think you're doing, man?"

"Uh. I'm not-"

"You're not  _what,_ Cas? Not a backstabbing, lying asshole? Because that's kind of hard to believe from where I'm standing."

"I'm not Castiel," Cas corrected, obviously confused.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Sam! I see you've met my brother," the  _real_ Castiel said, coming up beside Sam. Sam blinked at the newcomer, then at the man he'd taken to be Castiel.

"Now what were you in the middle of calling my brother?" Castiel's brother asked, crossing his arms threateningly. Sam scowled at him then whirled to face Castiel, who frowned at the sudden hostility but refused to take a step back.

"Are you dating Anna?" 

This time, Castiel  _did_ take a step back. "Of course not! Sam, I don't understand why you would even ask that. I was talking about Dean with her just this morning, she said she-"

"Well she just came up and kissed  _him,_ " Sam growled, jerking a thumb at the other twin. "Care to explain that?"

Castiel looked at Jimmy, his blue eyes wide. "What?"

Jimmy looked sheepish. "I don't know, I was just standing here waiting for you and this hot chick came up to me and kissed me."

"And you _kissed back,"_ Sam added.

"Of course I kissed back! I was surprised and she was gorgeous! I would've explained to her that I'm not Castiel if she hadn't just fucking  _disappeared!_ " 

"Yeah, well Dean saw the whole thing and freaked, so thanks for that."

Castiel's eyes grew impossibly wider. "Dean saw Anna kissing Jimmy?"

"No, what Dean saw is Anna kissing  _Castiel,_ and he saw  _Castiel kissing back._ "

"Oh my God," Cas groaned, covering his face with his hands, "He probably thinks I'm the biggest asshole to ever live. Jimmy, I'm sorry, but we'll have to have lunch another time. I have to see if I can fix this."

"Good luck," Sam called after him. Awkwardly, he turned to Jimmy. "Hey, man. Sorry for yelling."

"No problem," Jimmy said, smiling. Now that he knew Castiel had a twin, it was obvious this guy wasn't Cas. He seemed much... _lighter,_ more at ease. "So who's Dean and why is Cassie so freaked out about what Dean thinks?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas likes Dean who likes Anna who just kissed Castiel's twin Jimmy- thinking it was Castiel- while Dean and Sam watched.
> 
> OR
> 
> Dean just saw Cas- who he likes- kissing Ana- who he used to like- not realizing that he didn't actually see Cas kiss Anna, he saw Castiel's twin brother Jimmy kiss Anna, and Castiel tries to fix the situation by coming clean to Dean about everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The boys have a long, adorable heart-to-heart. This chapter is just unintentional schmoopiness on Dean's part, really. He awkwardly attempts at flirting a bit and Castiel awkwardly doesn't see it for what it is.

“Dean?” Castiel asked cautiously, peeking around the door, but he jumped back when a boot was thrown at his head. It narrowly missed, instead hitting the door where Castiel’s head had just been. “Dean.”

Dean sat cross-legged on his bed, trying to scowl Cas into oblivion. “Fuck off, Cas.”

“Dean, please let me explain. It’s actually a funny story, really. You’ll laugh, I’m sure. Well…perhaps not. But there _is_ a reasonable explanation,” Cas stammered, sitting across from Dean on his own bed.

“You know, Cas, it’s _crazy_ how wrong you can be about a person. You think they’re one thing, and you think they like you and you definitely like them, and then they turn out to be something completely different—”

“Dean, I meant to tell you this sooner, but—“

“There’s no explaining this away, Cas! You used me to get better at football and then stabbed me in the back! You _kissed_ the girl I’ve liked since _seventh grade!_ I thought you were supposed to be my friend!” Dean shouted, standing up. Castiel stood up as well.

“I _am_ your friend, Dean! And I didn’t kiss Anna!” Cas shouted back.

Dean blinked, taking a step closer. Cas scowled up at him. “Oh, right. So Sam and I just _imagined_ your lips all over her lips and your _tongue_ in her _mouth_ and—oh God,” Dean stepped back, holding out a hand, “I think I’m going to be sick.”

“It wasn’t _my_ tongue, it was my brother’s!”

“Really, Cas? ‘Cause your brother looks a helluva lot like _you.”_

“That’s the general idea behind _twins,_ Dean.”  Dean finally seemed to calm down some, his frown softening. Castiel rolled his eyes despite Dean still being angry with him.

“You have a twin?”

Cas nodded. “His name is Jimmy. He was here looking for me—to meet for lunch— and Anna came up to him, and…Sam can vouch for me. He saw me and Jimmy together.”

“Oh.” Dean sat on Castiel’s bed, Cas hesitantly sitting beside him. “Oh. But wait,” Dean stood again. His glare had Cas cringing. “Why would Anna do that, then? People don’t just _march up to people_ and _kiss unsuspecting people!_ ”

“I’m just as confused as you are! Jimmy said Anna didn’t say anything after she kissed him.”

“No, Cas, see, Anna’s not the kind of girl to just kiss someone out of the blue like that! And you two are always flirting in class and—“

“Flirting? With Anna? Dean, I _told her_ she’s not my type!”

“Ha!” Dean shouted, jumping and pointing at Cas, “So you _have_ talked about relationship-y stuff before!”

“Today, yes. After I tried to convince her to date _you!_ Dean, there is nothing going on with me and Anna!” Shaking his head, Cas took a step away from Dean. “I can’t. I can’t do this anymore, Dean. I’ve been lying to you, not about Anna, but I haven’t been entirely truthful. I just…I’m gay, okay? I’m gay. So you don’t have to worry about me and Anna, because…she’s not my type.”

“Cas—“

“Don’t. Please don’t, Dean. I’m sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, and I won’t be offended if you want to request a room change.” Cas slowly backed toward the door.

“Cas, hang on a sec—“

He didn’t want to give Dean a chance to speak. He couldn’t handle it, not from Dean. As much as Michael’s rejection had hurt, it would be infinitely more painful coming from Dean. “Please don’t. I just…I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.”

Castiel fled the room and slammed the door behind him, immediately pulling out his phone and dialing Jimmy’s number. “Hey, Jimmy. Are you still on campus? Great. Do you think you could give me a ride home?”

 

Cas knew that looking back on it, he wouldn’t be proud of the way he spent the next several hours. They involved Netflix and junk food, mostly. And angry pouting.

“That’s it,” Jimmy eventually said, standing up and blocking Castiel’s view of the television. Castiel scowled up at him, then tried to peer around Jimmy. In response, Jimmy tore the remote from Castiel’s hand and turned the TV off. “What would you rather do, get the hell over yourself or sit on the couch marathoning Friends for the rest of your young life?”

“The latter.” Castiel lunged for the remote, but Jimmy anticipated the action and held it out of reach.

“Cassie,” he said, expression softening. Jimmy could pull off a pout like no other. Castiel always looked constipated when he tried the same. Which wasn’t at all fair, seeing as they were twins and practically identical. “You’re going to have to tell me what happened eventually. Now, you promised me pizza, so I say we go to your pizza place and talk and you’ll feel better before you know it.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“Trust me. And look! It’s raining, so you’re officially allowed to bring that stupid coat of yours out of retirement. That’ll make you feel better!”

Castiel smiled despite himself. “It’s not stupid. It’s comfortable.”

“Whatever,” Jimmy laughed, “Just go get dressed, then we can grab dinner.”

 

The two of them got several double takes as they entered Cesario’s and found a table.

“Hey Castiel,” the waitress Bela, a girl in several of Castiel’s classes, greeted with a sly grin, pulling put a small notepad. “Er, Castiel One and Castiel Two?”

Cas smiled. “This is my brother, Jimmy.”

“I didn’t know there were two of you,” Bela purred, looking Jimmy up and down with interest. “Is today my birthday?”

“Thank you,” Castiel blushed. “I was at home and didn’t have any other clothes, so…”

“It’s a good look,” Bela winked. “Now what Can I get you boys to drink?”

After she left, Jimmy gaped at his twin. “Gorgeous girls randomly kissing you in the street, hot British waitresses flirting with you…you have to be doing _something_ right.”

Cas scowled. “If I was doing something ‘right,’ I wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.”

“Right. So what happened, exactly?”

“We were fighting and I told him there was nothing going on with me and Anna. Everything was tense and he’s always so sweet and genuine and I’ve been so fake with him, so in the heat of the moment I admitted that I’m gay.”

“Oh. Cassie…what did he say?”

Cas wiggled uneasily in his seat. “I didn’t actually give him a chance to say anything. I sort of…fled.”

" _Seriously?_ Have you stopped to think he might actually be okay with it?”

“Yes, but…I couldn’t bear it if he wasn’t.”

“You really like him?”

Castiel nodded pathetically then groaned, slamming his forehead onto the table. “He’s so perfect. And I know I shouldn’t, I tried so hard not to fall in love with him, but now here I am…Oh, God. What do I do?”

“Hell if I know, Cassie. I’m not exactly the relationship expert here. I broke up with Lisa, by the way.”

“Finally, some good news,” Castiel smiled, lifting his head just in time to see a nervous looking Dean approach the table. His smile immediately fell.

“Cas, I—“ Dean said to Jimmy rather than Castiel. He paused. “Whoa. That’s weird. _Not_ Cas.” He blinked at Jimmy for a moment, then turned to the real Cas. “Yeah. You’re my Cas. Mind if I sit?”

“You can tell us apart?” Cas asked, his head tilting to one side.

“What, like it’s hard?” Dean looked between the two of them thoughtfully.

“It is for most people,” Jimmy grinned up at Dean, resting his chin in his hands and blinking up at his twin’s roommate innocently.

“Yeah well, Cas’ hair is messier. And there’s something about your expressions that are different.” Without being invited, Dean slid into the booth beside Castiel and looked his roommate over thoughtfully. “And your eyes are bluer.”

Jimmy ‘hmmmed’ thoughtfully. “So you’re Dean, I take it?”

"And you must be Jimmy,” Dean said, reaching across the table to shake Jimmy’s hand.

“How did you know I was here, Dean?” Castiel asked quietly.

“Oh,” Dean blushed. “I kind of, um, convinced Bela to text me if you happened to show up here. ’Cause I was looking for you everywhere, and you weren’t in English this afternoon, so…”

“Well I think I just turned into the third wheel. This is new,” Jimmy said, smiling at the glare Castiel shot him. “I’m just going to…yeah. Head off. Cassie,” he reached across and patted his brother on the cheek, “you still owe me lunch sometime.”

“Cassie?” Dean asked with a slight smirk.

“Please don’t ever call me that.”

Dean put his hands up in surrender. He didn’t seem to have any inclination to move now that Jimmy was gone, even though the other half of the booth was now vacant. Instead, he sat very close to Cas, effectively blocking Castiel from any hope of escape. Maybe he could shimmy to the ground, crawl out from underneath the table…

“I like your coat,” Dean observed with a smile. “It’s a good look on you.”

"Are you mocking me??” Castiel narrowed his eyes, making his roommate’s expression sour.

“Jesus, Cas! No! Why would you just _assume_ that? And about earlier—what the hell? Dude, you don’t just drop a bomb like that and run.”

Refusing to look up at Dean, Castiel instead fiddled with his coat sleeve. “I’m sorry, Dean. I know I should have told you—“

“Well fuck that. Cas, look at me, will you?” Dean put a finger under Castiel’s chin, forcing him to look up. Castiel’s blue eyes met Dean’s green ones, but Cas was surprised to see no malice in them. “You don’t have to tell _anyone_ if you’re not ready or comfortable, you hear me?”

Castiel nodded. Dean dropped his hand.

“Good. That being said, you don’t have to be afraid of telling me anything, kay? I mean, did you think I was going to be angry or something?”

“You’re not?” Castiel asked hesitantly, hope blossoming in his chest.

Dean sighed. “Oh _course not,_ dork.” He nudged Cas with his shoulder. “But I’m kind of hurt you thought I would be.”

"I’m sorry, Dean. It’s not you, I promise. My secrecy was solely based on past experience…” He trailed off at Dean’s questioning look. “Well, I’ll just say that no one at Cornwall took the news particularly well.”

“Can I tell you a secret, Cas?” Dean asked, leaning in closer. Castiel smiled and nodded. “Here at Illyria, nobody actually cares. Principal Fitzgerald might be _beyond_ weird, but he always makes sure we all know how to be decent human beings. Seriously. Sam, Victor, Benny, nobody’s gonna mind. Although I do think half the girls in the school are gonna be super disappointed.”

Cas scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Sure.”

"I’m serious! Hey Bela, how hot is Cas?” Dean asked as the waitress approached the table. Cas his him on the arm.

“Very,” Bela smirked. “Is your brother not coming back?”

“I don’t think so.”

“You still want that pizza, then?”

“Hell yeah,” Dean answered for him. “Can we get breadsticks, too?”

“Coming right up,” Bela said, ruffling Dean’s hair before walking off. “See, Cas? Told you you’re hot.”

Castiel laughed. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re very comfortable with your sexuality, Dean? The guys at Cornwall can’t acknowledge when another gets a _haircut,_ for fear of seeming ‘gay’.”

“Cas. Please tell me you don’t think I watch Dr. Sexy for the _plot,_ ” Dean deadpanned.

“Um.” Cas frowned, not sure how this had anything to do with what they were talking about. “I had wondered, but I assumed it was the nurses.”

“Hell no, man. It’s Dr. Sexy, all the way.” Castiel actually felt his jaw drop, and Dean laughed at the dumbfounded expression on his roommate’s face. “What can I say? I dig the cowboy boots.”

“You mean you’re—“

“Bi. I mean, I lean toward chicks, but every now and then a guy’ll do it for me,” Dean winked, thoroughly enjoying Castiel’s shock, “Y’okay there, buddy?”

“ _You_?” Castiel finally managed.

“That’s what I’m saying, yeah,” Dean smiled.

“Sorry. I just didn’t expect you to…I mean, you don’t _seem_ …I’m just going to stop before I dig myself even deeper into this hole,” Cas cringed. He made Dean laugh, though, made him laugh so hard those cute lines appeared by his eyes and his head fell back, “I’m glad I’m so amusing.”

“You are,” Dean agreed. “Hey, do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Of course not.”

“Those three girls we met, then. Are you just bi, or…?”

Cas shook his head, feeling his face heat up. “No. Um…the first two were Charlie and Meg, my friends from Cornwall. I was worried you all thought I was a loser, so Jimmy thought it would make me look cooler if you thought I was good with women.”

Dean laughed again. “So you’re telling me that whole thing was _staged?_ Dude, Victor’s been imitating your ‘moves’ for _weeks._ It’s getting embarrassing.”

“I know,” Cas cringed, laughing with Dean, “I didn’t have the heart to tell him he is just making himself look worse.”

“So who was the third chick?”

“Jimmy’s girlfriend,” Cas said, making a face. “ _Ex-_ girlfriend, I suppose. I knew she would recognize me. If she saw me, so I just…hid.”

“Okay. But I have another question now. Why do all of this, man? We liked you just fine before then, you didn’t need to go through all that trouble.”

Castiel couldn’t meet Dean’s eyes. “I know that now, but…I had a hard time at Cornwall, Dean. That’s why I started at Illyria in the first place. It was…rough. I figured I’d get through this year with more ease if I was …not me.”

“Jesus. They really did a number on you, didn’t they?” Dean breathed.

"So it would seem,” Cas agreed, finally looking up to brave eye contact.

“Come here, Cas,” Dean growled, suddenly pulling Castiel into a tight hug. Cas squawked before relaxing into the embrace, letting his chin fall to rest on Dean’s shoulder. He screwed his eyes shut and buried his face in Dean’s neck, whispering a quiet “thank you.”  In response, Dean gently started rubbing up and down Castiel’s back. He eventually pulled away, leaving Cas to do the same, and Bela appeared with their food. Castiel suspected she’d purposely waited in order to give them some privacy, which he was grateful for.

“So your ‘ex’ that calls all the time, is that fake too?” Dean asked conversationally around the hot pizza in his mouth, dropping the slice onto his plate when Castiel’s expression suddenly darkened.

“No.” Cas set down his pizza as well, then licked some grease off his fingers. Dean’s eyes tracked the movement. “Do you remember, when we’d first met, I told you my brother used to date Michael Shurley? Well, Jimmy’s thoroughly heterosexual. I’m actually the one that dated Michael for a couple of months…at the start of junior year.”

“ _Him_?” Dean gaped. “But he’s such a dick!”

“I know that _now,_ Dean. But thank you for the advice,” Cas smiled.

“What happened? Shit. No, you don’t have to answer that. Ignore me.”

“No, it’s alright. Michael hadn’t come out yet, so we were keeping our relationship a secret. We were both on the team at the time, and one day some of our teammates walked in on us when we were about to—“ Cas glanced at Dean quickly, blushing, “—well I was about to give him a…you know, but then Michael freaked out and accused _me_ of trying to seduce _him,_ and it’s safe to say that was the end of our relationship.”

“Shit.”

"Oh, it gets worse, because only then did things start getting bad for me at Cornwall. I was bullied into quitting the football team halfway through the season, because none of them wanted to have to play with a ‘fag’ on their team, and I lost all but two of my friends—not counting Jimmy—and so my parents decided I should transfer to Illyria.”

When he finally looked up at Dean, the green-eyed boy was just sitting and staring at Castiel in wide-eyed horror. “Cas, oh my God. That is so. Fuck.” He stopped to take a deep breath. “You don’t deserve any of that. You know that, right? You deserve so much more. They’re just immature assholes, and they’re _wrong_ and they make me so angry I can’t even form sentences right now.”

Cas laughed. “Thank you, Dean.”

“I mean it, Cas. Everything they’ve ever said to you, I want you to just forget it.”

“Dean,” Castiel interrupted, sensing Dean was about to go on another rant. “I’m fine now. Although I think I’ll feel better when I kick their asses in the Cornwall-Illyria game.”

"Oh, so _that’s_ why you’re so obsessed with this!” Dean laughed. “So, um…why does Michael keep calling you, then? You’re not, uh, still…”

“No. I don’t know why he calls; I never answer. We haven’t spoken since last fall, and I intend to keep it that way.”

“Why not just block his number?”

"I can do that?” Castiel asked, eyes wide. He pulled out his phone. “How?”

Dean laughed, plucking the phone from Castiel’s hand. “Let me. There. Would you like to do the honors?”  He asked, handing the phone back over to Cas. Beaming up at Dean, Castiel pressed the red letters that spelled out ‘Block Caller.’ “I’ll bet that feels good.”

“Oh my God, Dean. You have _no_ idea. Every time I see his name on the screen I want to hurl my phone across the room.”

Dean laughed. “Well, you’re welcome. Glad I could, uh…save you from that torture?”

Cas rolled his eyes. “So, Dean. Since we’ve decided I’m not trying to steal Anna...what do we do about this situation?”

“Do? Well you should probably tell _her_ that she, you know, _didn’t_ actually kiss you and that she doesn’t have a chance with you—“

“I _mean,_ are you okay? With…what happened?”

Dean shrugged. “To be honest, I’m kind of over her? I was going to tell you that you didn’t have to talk to her, but then you _talked to her,_ and…yeah,” Dean finished with a grin. “So it’s no big loss on my part. I was more upset about the whole betrayal idea than anything else.”

“I see,” Cas nodded, head tilting to the side, “But then our bargain is one sided.”

“Well, how about you help me out with Biology to make up for the football stuff? I didn’t do so well on the last exam, and I know you did…”

“I can do that. Hey, Dean?”

“Yeah, Cas?”

“Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking only one chapter to go! (Two, very possibly) Please let me know what you're thinking of it so far!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short sort of in-between chapter! The last chapter should be posted sometime within the next 24 hours, I swear!  
> (Yeah, I kind of stole this scene from Rudy)

It was four days to the Cornwall game, and Castiel was still on the Junior Varsity team. Bobby wasn't showing any signs of wanting to switch him over, either. But actually, Dean was freaking out about this more than Castiel was.

Cas insisted he was fine either way, that his desire to get revenge on Cornwall lessened the more he settled in at Illyria. He was just glad to have friends here, he claimed. Cas reasoned that his grudge against the Cornwall team would just seem petty one day, that there was nothing he could do for it, that he would eventually get over it and laugh. But then every time one of the guys mentioned the Cornwall game, his smile would fade just a little. And it killed Dean to see it, especially after hearing about all the shit Cas had to go through at Cornwall. He definitely deserved some good, old-fashioned payback. Or even just the smug satisfaction he'd get from beating the Cornwall team.

And God, the poor kid was working hard. He was getting really good, too. And he was working his friggin’ ass off. Hell, _Dean_ was working his ass off, too. Not that he minded spending extra time alone with Cas, but he could only work out _so much_ every day. And, well, if he and Cas were going to be doing physical activity together, there were definitely more fun ways to do it.

But he was getting off-track. And that was _so not_ Dean’s primary motivation in all of this. He wasn’t helping Cas for… _that._ He was just doing it to make Cas happy.

So Dean hatched a plan, talked to some of his team members, and put his plan in action.

 

“Bobby!” he shouted, slamming open the door to Bobby’s office. The force of the door hitting the wall made a painting fall, which Dean scrambled to hang back up on the wall. “Shit, sorry. That went much cooler in my head.”

Bobby watched him from over the top of his computer screen, unimpressed. “What the hell do you want, boy?”

Dean approached Bobby’s desk. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Then talk. I’m listening.”

"Right, okay. Coach, I want Castiel to play in my place for the Cornwall game," Dean said, throwing his jersey down on Bobby's desk.

"You'd give up your chance to play?" Bobby asked, his eyebrows shooting up and disappearing past the brim of his baseball cap.

"Yeah."

"Even though you know there are probably gonna be college scouts at this game?"

"Yeah."

To Dean's surprise, Bobby laughed. "I ain't never seen somebody so whipped as you before," he chuckled.

Dean felt his face heating up. "I am not— that's not what...he deserves it, Bobby, you know he does! He's been killin' himself, and he's damn good, too!"

Bobby hummed and nodded.

"So...yeah. I wanna give up my place to let Cas play."

"Me too," Sam said, slipping into the office behind Dean. Victor, Benny, and some of the other team members came in, also swearing their intentions of giving up their place for Castiel. They all laid their jerseys down on Bobby's desk.

"You're all a bunch of idjits," Bobby finally said, after studying them all in turn. "This is really touching, boys, but I asked Inias last week to play JV against Cornwall so Castiel could play in the big game. Told Cas the good news this morning."

"Really?" Dean grinned, snatching his jersey back up. "Awesome. That was easy. You rock, Bobby! 'M gonna go find Cas."

Dean didn't stay to hear anything else, racing out of Bobby's office with a shit-eating grin. Once Dean was out of the office, Sam scoffed and rolled his eyes.

 

“Dean!” Cas hopped up from his bed when Dean entered the room, his totally-not-adorable but yeah, completely adorable nose-scrunching smile lighting up his face. “You’ll never guess what happened!”

Dean gave him a vague smile, feigning ignorance but unable to keep a straight face when Castiel was smiling at him like that. “What?”

"I’m playing Varsity against Cornwall,” Castiel breathed, like he still couldn’t believe it.

“No way! Dude, that’s awesome! I told ya’ you could do it!”

Dean wasn’t entirely sure how it happened, but one second he was standing in the doorway and the next he had an armful of happy roommate and Castiel was wrapping his arms around his neck and practically squeezing the life out of him (but in the best way possible. If Dean were to choose how he died, this would be it).

Dean found himself humming and burying his face in Castiel’s neck, not even noticing when Cas had the same reaction. They stood like that for a while, for much longer than was normal, but they eventually had to let go of each other.

“Now we just have to kick Cornwall’s ass, and you’ll get your sweet, sweet revenge,” Dean grinned.

Castiel’s smile turned wicked. “I’m not worried.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am soo sorry this is taking so long!! I've had major writer's block, and my classes just started and...yeah. Craziness. But in my Shakespeare class we just started reading Twelfth Night (As you know, this movie is based on She's the Man. Well, she's the man is based on Twelfth Night) so I can't get through a single page without feeling guilty about not having finished this fic yet.   
> But ANYWAYS, the next and final chapter will be posted very, very soon!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Told you I'd be quick with this chapter)
> 
> I'd like to preface this by saying that I know next to nothing about football. Everything I know about the sport comes from the "NFL Beginner's Guide to Football."

The Saturday of the Cornwall game finally arrived. Castiel was so nervous, Dean practically had to force-feed him breakfast.

“Cas, relax,” his roommate told him for the hundredth time that day as they walked down the field to warm-up before the game. “Cornwall’s beaten us like, _once_ in the past twenty years. And their defense is notoriously crappy. We’re gonna win.”

“It’s not just about us _winning,_ Dean,” Cas sighed, “I mean, we need to win, yes. But _I_ need to play really well, too. This is about me proving I can do it.”

“You _can._ Cas, you’re one of the best players on the team. And you’re a _damn good_ runner. You’ve got this, man. I believe in you.”

Dean’s bright green eyes were turned on Cas with such affection and optimism that Castiel couldn’t help but start to believe his friend’s words. He gave Dean a small smile. “Thank you, Dean.”

“No problem,” Dean grinned, patting Cas on the shoulder. He turned toward the locker rooms, pausing when Cas didn’t follow him. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Not yet. Jimmy’s in the stands somewhere with my parents. Charlie and Meg, too, I think. I was going to say hello.”

“Ah, gotcha. Well, tell Jimmy I say hi.”

Cas nodded, but Dean was already walking away. Castiel allowed himself a minute to just watch Dean walk, to admire how unbearable attractive his friend really was. He couldn't help but admire the muscles of Dean’s back, visible underneath his tight t-shirt.

Sighing, Castiel turned away from Dean and was confronted with a sight he was hoping he wouldn’t have to deal with until he was out on the field.

The Cornwall bus was pulling up not twenty feet away. He stood petrified as all of his former teammates filed out of it. Fortunately, most of them didn’t look his way, and if they did, they didn’t seem to recognize him. But Michael was the last one off the bus, and of course, their eyes immediately met.

“Castiel?”

Michael was on top of him in an instant. “Where the hell have you been, Castiel? I’ve been calling you!”

“I…” Cas blinked, all of the memories from the past year hitting him at once. He didn’t seem to be able to move.

“Come on, sweetheart. I know we had a bit of a falling out, but that doesn’t mean you can ignore me! Look, I’m sorry about how everything turned out, and I know you’re sorry, too. I might even forgive you, since you came all the way here to cheer us on today,” Michael smirked. Castiel used to find that smirk attractive, would glow when Michael directed it at him. Now it just seemed…to use one of Dean’s favorite words, ‘skeevy.’

“I’m not…”

“We had something special, you and me. I want to try again. We still have to keep it secret, obviously, but—“

“No.”

“I beg your pardon?” Michael asked, his expression freezing over. Castiel knew from experience this is where he should flinch.

“I said _no_ , Michael.”

Michael’s hand twitched at his side, and he looked very much like he wanted to hit Cas, but a gruff voice from behind Castiel distracted him.

“Is there a problem here?” Dean asked, walking up to stand beside Cas. Cas wanted to hug him. He felt much braver with Dean by his side, he knew he’d never have a problem rebelling against the world when Dean stood with him.

Michael sneered at him. “Winchester, isn’t it? This is none of your business.”

“Oh, I think it is,” Dean challenged, “See, ‘cause if you try and lay a hand on Cas, I’ll have to kick your ass.”

“ _Cas?_ Really, Castiel? _This_ is why you didn’t answer any of my calls? Do you think he’s going to be any better for you than I was?”

“ _I am_ better for him!" Dean snapped. "Not all of us are homophobic assholes that shove our own issues onto other people! Cas deserves way better than a piece of shit like you.”

Cas and Michael both gaped at Dean.

“God, I'd love to punch that stupid smirk on your face, but let's just settle this on the field, shall we?” Michael said through gritted teeth, glaring at Dean.

“Can’t wait to make you cry again,” Dean sneered.

“ _Dean_ ," Cas scolded, not wanting to provoke Michael to violence. "Go get dressed. Michael, you are correct. We will settle this on the field.”

Michael blinked at Castiel. “What?”

“I’m attend Illyria now. I’m on their team.”

“You’re kidding, right? You honestly think _you_  can beat us? We’ll see.”

After Michael stormed away, Castiel turned on Dean. “What did you mean?”

Dean blinked and took a step back. “Uh…what? I was expecting, I dunno, a thank you or something? What the hell are you so angry for?”

“I thank you for stepping in, Dean. I really am grateful. But earlier you said that _you’re better for me_ than Michael is. What did you mean by that?” Cas clarified, really hoping it meant what he thought it meant.

Dean’s eyes widened. “I don’t…um…it was just…”

Thankfully, he was saved from having to answer by Bobby’s timely arrival. “You two are supposed to be in uniform by now. What’d you do? Stop to smell the daisies?”

“Sorry, Bobby,” Dean squeaked, casting one last glance at Castiel before practically sprinting to the locker rooms.

“What’s eating him?” Bobby asked Cas with a grunt as they both watched Dean flee.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Cas sighed. “But I think I just scared him off.”

“It won’t last long,” Bobby said as they started walking toward the locker rooms together, “That boy wouldn’t stay away from you if you paid him. When he was in my office the other day—“

“He was in your office? Why?”

“He didn’t tell you? He was trying to give up his position on Varsity so you could play. He got Sam and Benny and them to join ‘im, too. I haven’t seen him like this since he was in seventh grade and had a crush on Rhonda Hurley.”

“Really?” Cas asked, grinning at the coach.

Bobby chuckled, clearly amused. “Really. Now, get moving. You worked hard to play in this game, don’t want you missing it ‘cause you weren’t dressed.”

 

Fortunately, Castiel was so distracted by what he was calling the ‘Dean situation’ that he forgot his nerves over the game. That is, he forgot about them until he—with the rest of the team—was walking through the tunnel onto the field. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks.

Before he knew it the game was beginning.

He wasn’t playing at his best during the first quarter and he knew it. He fumbled the ball once, only made it about ten feet another time. But then, to be fair, he didn’t get a lot of playing time. The Cornwall offense was surprisingly strong this year, and by halftime they’d already scored 10 points with Illyria trailing behind at 7.

At one point, while they were walking past each other between plays Michael slammed his shoulder into Castiel’s, almost knocking the slightly smaller boy over. He’d sneered at Castiel, some of the Cornwall players around him jeering.

Dean had growled—yeah, actually growled—at them and pulled Cas to the side. In the meantime, the Illyria cheerleaders had taken over the field.

“Cas, you gotta stop letting them get to you, man. I know you can play better than that.”

“I know,” Cas rubbed at his eyes.

“If we win this, I’ll pay for your pizza at Cesario’s for a month.”

Cas smiled at him, grateful for the attempt to cheer him up, even if it didn't work. “You think that’s what I need? _More_ motivation?”

Dean smiled back. “Well, I dunno. I thought maybe if you had some _positive_ motivation…‘cause when you beat yourself up about this Cornwall thing, all you’re doing is psyching yourself out.”

"Positive motivation." Nodding, Castiel considered Dean’s reasoning. It made sense, in a Dean way. “Well no offense, Dean, but I don’t think free pizza is motivation enough to cancel out the stress from Michael.”

“What, then?”

“Dean…” Castiel began, watching Dean’s reaction carefully and praying to God he hadn’t misinterpreted this, “If we win, will you go on a date with me?”

Dean’s mouth fell open. “You…you’d want that? Really? That’s your good motivation?”

“Is that a yes?” Cas asked with a shy smile.

“Yes,” Dean breathed. Then he was smiling, and Cas was lost in it. Cornwall who? Michael what? “ _If_ we win, Cas, I’ll go on a date with you. But if not, you’re not getting any of this sweet ass,” Dean winked, making Castiel laugh.

“That is motivation, indeed,” Cas smiled.

“Good. Yeah. So that’s,” Dean stammered, “Huh. You’d better get your act together, Cas, because now I really wanna win this thing.”

Dean gave Castiel’s ass a light pat as he walked to join the rest of the team. Cas squeaked and followed him, unable to keep the smile off his face.

 

They did much better in the second half of the game. Castiel was on fire, and so was Dean. They made a good team, Dean handing off the ball to Cas when he could and Cas _running_ with it. He was unstoppable, scoring three touchdowns without any assistance.

He scored the winning touchdown, in fact.

And when the game was finally over, the clock hitting zero, he and Dean kissed for the first time.

Castiel was not expecting it at all. After all, the only relationship he’d ever been in had been with Michael, who was so deeply in the closet he was practically in Narnia.

Everyone had been cheering while Cas jogged over to join the team, receiving a pat on the back from Bobby and high fives from his teammates. Then Dean, tearing off his helmet, had walked up to him and pulled him into a kiss in plain view of the whole stadium, and Cas melted into it.

They kissed until Sam coughed pointedly and elbowed them, making Dean laugh. Even after they ended the kiss, Cas couldn't stop himself from planting smaller kisses along Dean's jawline. “One date really means ‘more than one,’ right?” he clarified.

“Hmmm. We’ll see how well you play in the next game,” Dean winked, twining his fingers between Castiel’s. “Maybe if we win.”

Cas laughed, leaning up and kissing his roommate.

Jimmy was running across the field to meet them, and Castiel was surprised to see him holding hands with none other than Anna Milton. Meg and Charlie were with him, bright smiles on their faces. Surrounding him and Dean were all of their friends, Benny and Victor, Sam with his adorable new girlfriend Jessica, even Bobby.

Castiel hadn’t realized how good of an idea it had been to switch to Illyria, but with Dean’s hand in his own, he knew it was probably one of the best he’d ever have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! I have a lot more fics coming (lots and lots of prompts yay!), if you wanna stay updated go follow me on tumblr at [fantasy-novelist](http://fantasy-novelist.tumblr.com/)!


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